India, Aug. 26 -- Country music icon Dolly Parton often spoke openly about her decision not to have children, saying it gave her the freedom to build her extraordinary career while allowing her to support and care for children in other ways.
A marriage without children
Parton was married to Carl Dean from 1966 until his death in 2025, but the couple never had children. Speaking to Oprah Winfrey in 2020, Parton said her independence and Dean's self-sufficient nature gave her the freedom to focus extensively on her work.
She acknowledged making sacrifices but said she believed her life had unfolded as it was meant to.
'It wasn't meant to be'
In a 2014 interview with The Guardian, Parton recalled that she and Dean had once imagined what t...